Before you review you negatively about Izuku's points, I learnt from the mistake I made in 'Everything Black'.

I'm not going to reveal the results of the poll for Izuku's circle of friends. Instead, this chapter will.

Izuku will get a weapon soon enough. It's kinda obvious, but I like it.

JPPOKEMON99: Thank you for noticing my mistake. You were not rude at all.

KOMODO23: So many questions. No answers. No spoilers.

CLOUDPANDA961: The doctor is the same one that told Izuku he was quirkless, in canon. So…

Guest (chapter 3): I'm not introducing (too many) gems in this story. And the most will be guest appearances.

Uniform? Check!

Bow tie properly done? Super check! (he had to give enough tries until his tie became perfect)

Backpack with first day utensils, including notebooks for analysis? Check!

Prepared for the first day at the top hero high school in the nation? Check!

The excitement that consumed Izuku Midoriya was so engulfing that he couldn't sleep the previous night. The dark circles under his eyes showed for it. Yet, they were easily obfuscated by how much Izuku glowed. The moments when his enthusiasm peaked, his lozenge-shaped pupils would morph into stars.

After getting a heartfelt farewell and confident cheer from his mother, the diamond child departed, feeling as if he could shine like the sun. As a matter of fact, he did so; his diamond would emit a little short-lived radiance on his way to the train station.

"It looks so much bigger from the front gate."

Indeed, the top heroics school in Japan was big, but not quite in height. The 'big' was for how large its grounds were. The faculty buildings occupied less than a fourth of the entirety of UA property. Most space was for battle grounds with faux scenarios, such as the one where the practical exam took place in, training gyms specialized for many types of quirks and other sites of more hands-on training.

A full minute was spent trying to be mesmerized over the scenario before reminding himself it wouldn't do to be late on the first day.

The class he was assigned to, 1-A was mostly full already, but no teacher in sight so he was on the clear.

Inside were a few familiar faces. The first one to stand out was a well-known spiky, blond one. Who was being berated by the tall, glasses guy who scolded Izuku back before the exam. And of course, someone else who chose to announce their presence quite vividly.

"Monsieur Midoriya! A pleasure to see you again." Yuga Aoyama got up from his seat (which was right beside the doorway) to shake his hand. Izuku had learn that his new friend was one for politeness. "It's quite convinient that we are on the same class. We will have many opportunities to show which one of us shines the brightest."

"I look forward to that." Izuku grinned. While he wasn't much for the competition, Aoyama was and the diamond boy indulged him. Plus, occasionally he felt proud of himself when he felt he surpassed the blonde.

"Excuse me, Izuku Midoriya." The boy with the engine quirk approached them and bowed apologetically to Izuku. "I have to apologize for my conduct during the exam. I judged you as a naïve person unfit to be a pro, yet you demonstrated the selflessness of one. Please, I ask that you can forgive me."

Izuku raised a placating hand to stop him. Iida was likely referring to his desperate gamble to save that chestnut-haired girl from the rampaging giant mech. He was about to divulge his super strength didn't even activate half the time when another familiar face showed up.

"That white, spiky hair! It's you, the diamond boy." It was that same chestnut-haired girl, who began chatting, seemingly without needing to pause for breath. The diamond boy reciprocated.

"You passed, like Present Mic said."

"Yeah, I got third place. Someone else was tied with me."

"Oh, that was me! I'm Ochaco Uraraka."

"That's amazing! My name is Izuku Midoriya, by the way."

"You know, I just noticed your freckles are in the shape of diamonds."

Then a dull voice cut in. "If you want to make friends, go to the playground."

Izuku, Uraraka, Iida and Aoyama (who was a bit dejected for being ignored) gazed down to see something lying on the ground that wasn't there just a minute ago.

"Ah! A giant, talking caterpillar!" the diamond child shouted.

Turned out the 'caterpillar' was their homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. A frail-looking, disheveled person who didn't seem to fit the image of teacher, at all. Without warning, he commanded the students to get changed for a physical education class.

Soon enough, class 1-A was outside in the courtyard. Aizawa announced a quirk assessment test was in order to verify the limits of their abilities. A series of physical fitness tests where they'd be allowed to use their quirks. Izuku knew what would happen next; despite having no quirk, his powers were often assumed by less wise people to be a quirk. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the teacher called him:

"Midoriya, you got 3rd place in the entrance exam." It wasn't a question. It was a fact; with 28 villain points plus 45 rescue points, Izuku had landed himself in 3rd place on the practical exam, tied with Uraraka.

"Yes, sir." It was a bit uncomfortable to have those dead-looking eyes nailed on him. The teacher unceremoniously tossed him the ball.

"Throw it as far as you can. Use your ability in any way you see fit."

Izuku noticed the teacher said 'ability' rather than 'quirk', but thought nothing of it. He thought for a moment and decided to use something he experimented on the beach. He placed the ball inside a bubble, which made it very much lighter. Then the bubble was pressed against his gem and he focused every ounce of energy he could collect into a beam of light. It pushed the bubble upwards like a rocket of light, high into the sky until it was but a barely visible shiny speck.

Izuku grinned sheepishly at the mutters of awe from his new classmates. Aizawa revealed the ball had an altitude and distance sensor embedded within. According to the GPS, it just started falling. Very slowly.

"It's because of my bubble, sir. I can pop it long distance, if you wish." Izuku proposed and Aizawa agreed, muttering they couldn't wait all day for it to land. The boy sent a mental command and visualized the bubble with the ball inside bursting. He had learnt to burst bubbles long range with a lot of concentration and picturing them in his mind. It was easier if the bubble had a distinguishable feature, as in, the object within.

Aizawa showed the result: 587 meters. "Go beyond your limits. That's the meaning of UA's motto. You'll all take physical tests using your quirks to know your maximum. That maximum will be your starting point in this course."

That got the class excited. Thrilled comments flew around. Izuku started muttering.

"Awesome! Back in junior high, I was never allowed to use my powers, even though the teachers were aware that I have no quirk. Then again, the coach always gave the impression they didn't buy that medical note that I was officially quirkless."

Then everything changed when a pink girl said the test would be fun.

"'It looks fun'?" suddenly the teacher's tone didn't sound tired anymore. The man's dull eyes turned dark and merciless. "You have only three years to become fully fledged pro-heroes. Do you intend to go through all of that with such an easy-going attitude?"

He smirked viciously. "So be it, then. Whoever scores the lowest will be deemed unsuitable to be a hero and expelled on the spot. Welcome, boys and girls, to the hero course."

The glee died a quick death and was replaced by a wary gloom. Izuku shared their fear of being the one to fall in last. Seeing his new classmates in a dark funk wouldn't do.

"Come on, everyone! You heard Mr. Aizawa." he shouted loud enough to garner everyone's attention, including the teacher who returned to that dull expression. "This is the hero course, it's only natural we have to do our best and then some more. That's what we're all here for. Plus Ultra!" and he raised his fist for emphasis.

"Plus Ultra!" almost immediately someone joined him. It was Uraraka. Aoyama was the next, doing a dramatic gesture with his fist and the words heavy with his accent. Next was the pink girl and one by one, almost the entire class came aboard the positive thinking train. Some who didn't join were the bird-headed boy, the one with bi-colored hair and Bakugo (Shocker, I know?).

Aizawa's voice cut in, threatening to diminish the students again. "Before we begin, Midoriya, perform the ball throw again."

That caught him puzzled and Izuku feared his pep speech had turned the teacher against him, somehow. He prepared to repeat his move, unaware that the teacher's shaggy hair started standing upwards and eyes were glowing red. Izuku performed the ball throw just as before and looked at the man, confused.

Aizawa's hair fell. He gave him an odd, narrow-eyed look, then hummed. "Alright, Midoriya, I'll take that as your result for the ball throw test." Without giving any more explanation, he commanded the class to get ready for the first test.

First was the 50-meter dash.

"Should probably avoid doing anything like Aoyama." Izuku thought awkwardly. He used his navel laser to fly himself in a straight line and for a moment surpassed his opponent, the pink girl. Right before the finish line, the stomachache reared its ugly head and the blonde fell face-first on the ground. The diamond boy felt bad for the dramatic boy. He gave him an encouraging smile.

"You did well, Aoyama." And he meant it. Even though the pink girl crossed the line first, he promptly got up and finished after her.

"In spite of my embarrasant performance, I could not live with myself if I did not end the race."

Izuku refrained from observing that it wasn't a race and he was obliged to end it, either way, but didn't want to bring his classmate further down.

On with the grip strength test, Izuku had expected his supernatural strength not to help him out and wasn't disappointed. He got barely a 40kg.

"Guess super strength took another day off." He muttered, downtrodden. Close by, a girl named Jirou Kyoka passed by and gave him a strange look before shrugging it off. She swore she heard something strange coming from the diamond guy.

The long-standing jump, he got luckier. Firing light energy from his hands, he propelled himself above the sandbox. A similar tactic employed by Bakugo. The blonde gave him a glare more menacing than usual for that.

During the seated toe touch, he was paired up with a girl with eyes bigger than his, Tsuyu Asui. The girl stared at him without expression as she pressed his feet to the ground. The she asked:

"What is your quirk about, Midoriya?"

So caught by surprise that he paused the exercise for more than a second. A mean look from the teacher pressed him to continue. He tried to answer the best he could under the physical stress. Good thing he had trained his body somewhat during the summer.

"I…don't really have a quirk."

"Ribbit?" she blinked.

He answered in between deep breaths. "My doctor says I'm quirkless, but…I was born with some powers that aren't quirk-related…They kinda come from my gem."

Close by, another pair overheard that. Aoyama and the pink girl.

With the grueling tests concluded, the moment of terror arrived. Izuku was relieved to find he was on 13th place. The unfortunate last place went for a short boy named Minoru Mineta. The diamond boy was thinking of what to say to console him when the teacher revealed nobody was getting expelled, that it was all a ruse to motivate them to try their best.

"Class dismissed. Hit the showers." the teacher announced. "All except Midoriya."

Izuku blinked up in surprise at him. Aoyama gave momentaneous worried glance, before masking it under his trademark look. He gave Izuku a particularly more sparkling smile, probably as a mean to cheer him up. Asui and Ashido spare him a curious look as do some others before leaving him to the mercy of their unorthodox, creepy-looking pedagogue.

The diamond boy opened his mouth to inquire, but Aizawa got ahead of him. "You registered yourself as 'quirkless' in your admission papers." It wasn't a question, but a fact.

"That's right, sir. I am quirkless." He thought to himself. "He probably thinks I'm lying like…"

"I am aware of that. Today was proof enough."

"Huh?"

For the first time, Izuku saw the man's dark eyes glow red and his hair starting to rise like a soft breeze was blown on them.

"My quirk allows me to deactivate other quirks. That…"

This time, Izuku cut him off. His pupils shaped like stars. "You're Eraserhead, the Underground Hero! I read what little articles I could find about you. Your quirk lets you erase any quirk…"

Shota Aizawa was a man who didn't appreciate being interrupted, especially not by a student. He fulminated the white-haired boy with a look second only to a glare from Batman…and Izuku Midoriya continued rambling obliviously about any information he had on the pro currently glaring daggers at him.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow at the lack of fright from this unordinary boy. Normally a glare was all that he needed to keep petulant students in line. "Problem child." He thought disgruntled and had to raise his voice:

"Enough, Midoriya. Focus." Despite the tired tone, it did the job of silencing the problem child. "As I was saying, that was why I ordered you to throw the ball a second time. I tested my quirk on you but there was no effect." Aizawa's glare focused on the fist-sized gemstone on the forehead. "I went over your medical files and they support that you're quirkless. Yet, by appearance alone, anyone would say you have a mutation-type quirk. Explain now."

And explain he did. How he has had the diamond on him since birth, as far as he knew. How doctor Tsubasa revealed his strange, unique condition; a non-quirk mutation since birth that granted him his power.

"This mutation of yours, how come I've never heard anything about such thing?" Aizawa asked with a sudden frown, as if he was peering into Izuku.

"Doctor Tsubasa was kind enough to keep it a secret. He said if word got out, the media would be the least of my worries. Many people would be too interested in my mutation. I could end up lock up in a laboratory for research and would never be allowed to become a hero."

Silence followed the confession. Aizawa's black pupils continued burrowing into Izuku's white ones.

"In this course, anyone with an ounce of potential to be a hero is accepted." He uttered like it was a law spoken by God. "Pass by Recovery Girl to get yourself a paper for permission for a DNA test. Ask your legal tutor to sign it so Recovery Girl may take a DNA sample for analysis."

Izuku had a faint smile. "You still don't totally believe me, then."

The teacher's penetrating look intensified. "Do you have anything to hide?"

"No, sir." He replied honestly and Aizawa shrugged.

"Then you should have no problem. Now get moving. I'm tired."

After a quick shower to ward off the sweat and getting back in school uniform, Izuku headed straight for the healing pro-hero's office to fulfill Aizawa's request. Recovery Girl handed him over a permission paper with cold civility, and then insisted he left as she had much work to do.

"Grumpy." He couldn't help but think of the old woman. He had the paper for mom to sign, that was all that mattered.

Now he just had to hurry and get to the lunchroom before the line became exasperatingly long. Sadly, it was a bit long but the wait was worth it if only to taste the delicious food prepared by pro-hero Lunch Rush. The next issue was finding a table. One which was quickly resolved by Aoyama who had a spot saved for him among two others of their class, the big-eyed girl and the pink one.

"Thanks a bunch!" he thanked his friend for the seat.

Izuku gave a quick scan of his friend's plate. It was a foreign dish, French he would bet. Noticing his look, Aoyama explained, without being asked, it was confit de canard. One of the finest foods of his land and by far his favorite...

"Hey, diamond boy! I'm Mina Ashido." The pink girl suddenly interrupted. Everything about her was pink, save for the black sclera, the yellow pupils and her yellow-orange antenna. Now that Izuku got a good look at her, he found himself invaded by a surge of emotion. Feelings that didn't feel like his own, yet they did.

For some reason, for just that introductory moment, Ashido made him feel sorrowful and nostalgic of someone…

"Uh…are you okay?"

Izuku blinked and realized he must have stared a little too much. Embarrassed, he quickly apologized and properly introduced himself. To finish introductions was the girl with the big eyes and long, green hair that was paired with him for the seated toe touch.

"I'm Tsuyu Asui, but you can call me Tsuyu." Her lips were wide, her smile sincere and pretty.

"In that case, call me Izuku." He smiled back. She gave him a look that made him feel he was going through an x-ray exam.

"Izuku-chan, was it true what you said during the class? That you don't have a quirk." Tsuyu's big, round eyes made her look even more curious. Every eye at the table was nailed on him.

Izuku ready himself for it. "Yep. As far as genetics go, I don't have a quirk." He passed a hand over his jewel. "I've been told I had this diamond since birth. The powers I have are a mutation of sorts that don't follow the rules of quirks. And the diamond is a 'manifestation of said mutation', as my doctor says."

Asuy's eyes narrowed just slightly.

"How is that even possible? If you have powers, then you must have a quirk." Ashido butted in, like explaining two plus two equals four.

Aoyama added his own two cents. "Maybe it is something else other than a quirk."

"Or something new." Asui suggested. Everyone turned to her quizzingly. She croaked and divulged. "Looking back, before quirks appeared, superpowers were a thing that only existed in movies and comic books. Nowadays, they're a normalcy. Izuku's abilities could be the start of something new."

The whitehaired boy stared in puzzlement. Someone actually believed, right from the start, that he was truly quirkless. That was a first. Most of his old school mates didn't. Some teachers only after genuine proof was given. Even his mother.

Come to think of it, the only person who accepted it just as easily was Mr. Moy.

The pink girl leaned over the table to get a closer look at the white gem. It wasn't the first time someone got in his personal space just to look at his diamond, so Izuku didn't feel bothered at all. Her face was a stern mask, glaring at the precious stone. Then it morphed into an ear-to-ear grin and she moved back.

"I didn't buy this non-quirk thing when I overheard you back in Aizawa-sensei's class, and I still don't. But you look like an okay guy and I like your diamond. So you're okay in my book."

"Oh, thanks." The white-haired boy didn't know how else to respond.

"Plus, you know what they say about diamonds; they're a girl's best friend." She had her eyes narrowed at him and a seductive smile. His cheeks warmed. Ashido chuckled at his reaction. To Izuku's silent gratitude, Asui changed the question.

"Why do you want to be heroes, Izuku-chan and Aoyama-chan?"

The blonde raised from his seat, performed a perfect spin and stopped in a pose pointing to the stars. "I dream of becoming a role model not only for the general populace, but for pro-heroes as well. It is tragic that nowadays there are so many heroes who seek fame, riches and glory. Hero society has become égoïste. But fear not, for future pro-hero Yuga Aoyama, will be a new beacon of chivalry and heroism that millions will strive to follow."

He finished his little speech with much more sparkling around his face than usual. Izuku and Ashido just stared and Tsuyu proceeded to drink a liquid yogurt. "If you wish to be a role model, I advise you to act a bit more serious. Those poses of yours may degrade your future image. You're already attracting a few looks."

True enough some students from neighboring tables were staring, some awkward, others taunting. Aoyama's mood deflated completely, the shine around him died.

"Don't feel bad, Aoyama. Making hero society better is a great goal. I believe in you." Izuku comforted him and he immediately perked up.

"Of course the sparkly boys would stick for each other." Ashido giggled teasingly. Izuku looked at her a bit miffed:

"I'm serious. I agree with Aoyama's dream. There's always room for improvement and hero society is no exception. As a matter of fact, I want to become a hero to make the world better."

"How so? Ribbit."

"Just like All Might. Before he showed up, crime was a constant in everyday life. He almost singlehandedly ended the criminal activity that existed in Japan pretty much since quirks appeared and reformed hero society."

Tsuyu stared at him, not blinking. As if she was scanning him. "But why do you want to make things better?"

Izuku opened his mouth to give an answer, but it didn't come. He found himself asking the same thing. Why did he want to better the world? Why did he strive to help people?

He had been asked the same question by grown-ups before, namely his mother and Mr. Moy. He supplied the same answer he gave them.

"I just can't help what my heart wants. Since I can remember, making everything better has been my drive."

Tsuyu hummed. "So you want to help people just for the sake of helping people? That's a noble sentiment, Izuku-chan."

Izuku smiled warmly. "Thanks, I…"

She proceeded. "Although, there are times when people don't want to be helped. Or don't know how to be helped. All Might is a great hero, he almost singlehandedly made Japan a safer country for our generation. But not even he can solve all the problems in the world. Ribbit." She paused, seeing everyone's attention was on her. "I'm just saying two things: first, I think you should figure out what kind of hero you want to be, because there are many ways to make the world better. All Might isn't the only path to that goal. Second, keep in mind that, like All Might, no single individual can correct all the wrongdoings."

I didn't realize at the time, but that single conversation would be the first piece to change my perspective. Back then, I was focused on following All Might's footsteps because I felt he was the path to fulfill my obsession.

But my obsession was faulty.

In the future I'd come to realize my perception of things was incomplete. I tended to see the bright side too much and ignore the flaws in everything and everyone. I only saw the wrongs that were out in the light. If I wanted to improve anything, I had to become more critical of the bad stuff.

(Sadly, when I did so, my first solutions were…less than ideal. But that's a story for a later time.)

At the time, I had no such concerns. I was way too eager for afternoon class of next day, Basic Hero Training. And the teacher would be, you guessed it, the Symbol of Peace and Justice himself!

This chapter was going to be much longer, including All Might's class. But it was so demanding that I split it. So, piece of good news, the chapter 5 is almost finished. Izuku will be on a completely different team than in canon. He's not going against Bakugo. Remember, WD!Izuku and Bakugo relationship is this AU is, pretty much, scarce. Still, next chapter will explore that a little.